autointoxication
|au-to-in-tox-i-ca-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːtoʊɪnˌtɑːksəˈkeɪʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtəʊɪnˌtɒksɪˈkeɪʃən/
self-poisoning
Etymology
'autointoxication' originates from a combination of the prefix 'auto-' (from Greek 'autos', meaning 'self') and the noun 'intoxication' (from Latin 'intoxicare' via Old French), where 'in-' meant 'into' and 'toxicum' meant 'poison'.
'autointoxication' was formed in English in the late 19th century by joining 'auto-' and 'intoxication'; 'intoxication' itself changed from Latin 'intoxicare' and Old French forms into the Middle English term 'intoxicacioun' before becoming modern 'intoxication'. The compound gained use in medical literature around the 1880s–1920s to describe self-generated internal poisoning.
Initially it meant 'self-poisoning caused by substances produced within the body' as a specific medical theory; over time, as germ theory and modern biochemistry advanced, the broad medical use of the term declined and it is now mainly used historically or to refer narrowly to endogenous toxic states.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process or condition in which toxic substances are produced within the body (often by intestinal bacteria) and cause poisoning or harmful effects to the organism; historically, a medical theory that many illnesses are caused by such internal self-poisoning.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, autointoxication was widely cited as a cause of fatigue and various diseases.
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Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/26 07:05